Special Topics: Dada and Surrealism
ART 42095; Section 005 [10359]
306 Art Building
T Th 3:15–4:30
Spring 2005
Albert W. Reischuck
Office: 305-F Art Building (2-1354)
Office Hours: M & W 1:00–2:00
e-mail: areischu@kent.edu
website: www.personal.kent.edu/~areischu
Required Texts:
Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing About Art. Eighth Edition. New York: Addison-Wesley, 2004.
Gale, Matthew. Dada & Surrealism. London: Phaidon, 1997.
Hopkins, David. Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Motherwell, Robert, Ed. The Dada Painters and Poets: An Anthology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press,
1989.
Course Description and Goals:
Because the plastic arts often acted as a supplement to the many literary manifestations of Dada and Surrealism,
and since Dada itself was envisioned as an antidote to modern art and its artists often expressed a distrust of
traditional painting and sculpture, it should be noted that a standard art historical treatment of this topic is not
easily utilized. Nevertheless, using a roughly chronological approach, this special topic course shall examine the
profound and lasting contributions made by the Dadaists and Surrealists as well as other revolutionary modernists
of the early 20th century who sought to escape the traditional and rational in art and thought with sincerity in
spite of the often superficially simple or even sometimes nihilist appearance of their efforts.
Through an analysis of selected works of art from this period and their relevant precursors, an attempt will be
made to define the progressive ideas which led to the dismantling of previous standards and the rise of an anti-art
spirit which continues today in various guises. Primary documents will be consulted regularly in order to provide
the student with a wider appreciation for the variety of media (e.g. film, theater, typography) and the issues and
characters involved.
Grading:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Mid-Term Exam (Thursday, March 3rd)............... ........................................ 25 %
Semester Paper (due Thursday, April 14th)................................................... 35 %
Final Exam (Wednesday, May 11th 7:45am) ................................................... 30 %
Class Participation / Attendance / Summaries ........................................... 10 %
Make-up exams will only be given for those with a valid and documented excuse
(for example, a written statement from your physician in the case of illness).
Make-up exams must be taken within one week of the missed exam date.
Attendance:
Since my lectures and your participation in class will supplement (and not merely duplicate) the reading material,
it is essential to be present at each class meeting in order to be fully prepared for each exam. Attendance will be
taken at the start of each class meeting.
It is the policy of Kent State University that students are not permitted to attend classes for which they are not
officially enrolled. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure proper enrollment in classes. You are advised to
review your official class schedule during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure proper enrollment. Should
you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Friday of the second week of classes to correct it. If
registration errors are not corrected by that date and you do continue to attend and participate in classes for
which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the
semester.
Office Hours:
My office is in Room 305-f in the Art History wing of the Third Floor (near the upper exit to this lecture hall). If I
am not in my office at any particular moment during my posted office hours, I am probably just around the
corner in Room 305-n, the Slide Library, where we all prepare our lectures. Don’t be shy about asking for me if
you need to see me—it is not necessarily a hallowed place and it is always open to all students. Dropping by the
department will probably work just fine for the first few weeks, but, with some 250 other students to attend to this
semester, I suggest that you reserve your time with me during my office hours. You can do this via e-mail, in
person, or by leaving a message on my voicemail at 2-1354.
Students with Disabilities:
University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to
ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations,
please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom
adjustments. Please not, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Disability Services (contact
330-672-3391) or visit www.kent.edu/sds for more information on registration procedures.
Decorum:
You are expected to arrive on time (not after 3:15) and not disturb those around you with private chatter, doing
work for other classes, reading the Kent Stater, or answering cell phone calls. Please turn off all pagers and phones
and participate in our meetings. If you know that you have to leave at some point during our class, let me know
beforehand so that it is less disruptive to our meeting. If you miss a lecture, simply get the notes from a fellow
student (preferably from several students) and keep up with the scheduled text readings.
Web Page: http://www.personal.kent.edu/~areischu
This course has a web page component that I personally maintain on a regular basis in order to assist you in
finding out more about the topics that we may touch on all too briefly in class. You will find this to be quite
valuable in preparing for each exam, as the links I provide for you tend to parallel a variety of issues from our class
meetings, many of which are not found within our textbook. You may also use this web page to locate any
essential materials that have been distributed in class, such as the syllabus, study guides, updates, etc., and it will
serve as a vital link for information in the event of any unexpected cancellations or changes in our schedule.
Please keep this web page address bookmarked on any computer that you use regularly, and also keep a
handwritten version of the address and my e-mail address someplace other than on this syllabus, lest you lose
them when you need them most (e.g., the day before an exam).
Course Schedule:
Wk. 1 Jan.
T 18
Th 20
Lecture
Lecture
Wk. 2
T 25
Th 27
Film (TBA)
Lecture
Wk. 3 Feb.
T
Th
Film (TBA)
Lecture
Wk. 4
T
8
Th 10
1
3
Lecture
Lecture
12 or 13 CMA Visit (optional, time and day TBA)
Wk. 5
T 15
Th 17
Paper Topic Due / Film (TBA)
Lecture
Wk. 6
T 22
Th 24
Lecture
Lecture
Wk. 7 Mar.
T
Th
Wk. 8
T
8
Th 10
Wk. 9
T 15
Th 17
Wk. 10
T 29
Th 31
Introduction and Overview
Precedents for the Surreal and Irrational
The Shock of the New: Prewar Modernism
in Europe
Collage and Concrete Poetry
Dada before Dada: Duchamp and the New
York Scene
"An Art More Art": Zurich, 1916. Ball,
Tzara, Arp
Dada in Hanover, Cologne, Berlin and
Barcelona
Who Killed Dada? Paris 1920-24
Wk. 12
T 12
Th 14
Wk. 13
T 19
Th 21
Graduate Presentations / Take-Home Essay Questions distributed
Mid-Term Exam (In Class)
Lecture Topics:
Film (TBA)
Bibliography Due / lecture
'Beyond Painting': Breton, Ernst, and the Birth
of Surrealism
lecture
Masson and Miró
lecture
Tanguy, Dalí, and Magritte
Dalí and Buñuel’s Un Chien Andalou
lecture
Buñuel’s L’Age d’Or
Rough Draft of Paper Due
Surrealism and the Object
Surrealism in the Thirties
lecture
Surrealism and Photography
lecture
Women of Surrealism
Surrealism in Exile and Abstract Expressionism
lecture
The Legacies of Dada and Surrealism:
Paper Due
Happenings, FLUXUS,
Rauschenberg, Tinguely, Christo, Kaprow,
lecture
Johns, Cage, the Chapmans, Ofili, etc.
lecture
Wk. 14
T 26
Th 28
lecture
lecture
Wk. 11 Apr. T
Th
Wk. 15
May T
Th
1
3
Lecture Topics:
5
7
3
5
W 11
lecture
Remaining Graduate Presentations / Take-Home Essay Questions distributed
Final Exam 7:45 – 10:00am